Breastfeeding and its Positive Impact on the Immune System
Breastfeeding, does it really boost immunity? If so, for the person breastfeeding, the child, or both? Breastfeeding not only helps boost the child's immune system resulting in life long effects, but it also has positive factors for the breastfeeder. Such positive factors include lowering the risk of high blood pressure, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes. The benefits for the child include, but are not limited to the reduced risk of asthma, type 1 diabetes, ear infections, obesity, SIDS, NEC, gastrointestinal infections, and lower respiratory disease.
But, how? What makes the risk of the above vastly lessened by the act of breastfeeding? When a child properly latches to the nipple and surrounding areola tissue, bits of their saliva react with the breastmilk resulting in, "unique biochemical synergism which boosts early innate immunity," according to a study published by PubMed Central (PMC). Biochemical synergism can change the color and consistency of breastmilk based on what the saliva tells the host it needs. If your child is sick, your breastmilk may take on colostrum characteristics changing its color to a darker yellow plus a thicker consistency. Breastmilk is also abundant in proteins such as lactoferrin and interleukin -6, -8, and -10 that are the main proteins in charge of regulating the immune systems inflammatory response. It is also made up of various fats, sugars, white blood cells, and antibodies. This combination makes breastmilk the best nutritional choice for your child.
In order to reap the full benefits breastfeeding offers, both parties need to partake exclusively for a minimum of 6 months. Although, a year is the ideal time frame with added supplemental nutrition beginning at 6 months of child's age. For the breastfeeder, they need to actively breastfeed and not just lactate to benefit from the above, after-all breastfeeding is a verb. There are a lot of associated costs to be saved by breastfeeding including supplemental nutrition (formula) and according to the CDC, "more than $3 billion a year in medical costs for the mother and child in the United States." That's a large lump sum of saved associated costs, but there are several contributing factors that can inhibit a parents ability to breastfeed, let alone for six months to a year.
Factors can include environment, race, ethnic culture, lack of mammary tissue, medical procedures, and choice. Even without these factors, parents can struggle immensely to reach six exclusive months of breastfeeding, often resulting in supplemental formula or early onset nutritional solids. Solids before six months of age are not recommended due to the increased risk of aspiration. Whereas formula is qualified as a satisfactory nutritional supplement for children, but it does not come with the specialized characteristics that breastmilk displays, nor does it have as many long term benefits.
By: Emma McCracken, CBC